The system’s budget for 2004-05 does not include a property tax rate hike. The proposed millage, or property tax, rate will remain 10.25 mils and is expected to generate $925,000 in tax collections, Vanda Woods, finance director for the Chickamauga school system, said.
Superin-tendent Melody Day said, “The funds from the state in some areas have been cut, and some have increased,” but administrators do not plan to make any cuts in school programs.
When the classes began Aug. 5, out-of-district students paid $350 per student for tuition. Last year out-of-district students paid $250.
Woods said the tuition hike is expected to generate about $57,000 more in fees than last year.
“We increased the tuition to offset the cost of educating the students,” she said.
The system expects to rake in about $6.8 million in revenues, up 7.7 percent, or $523,422, from last year. State grants and funds will make up $6.2 million of those revenues.
Total expenditures in the proposed budget will be $7.27 million, up $433,690 from $6.83 million last year.
Operating expenses have increased because of climbing gasoline prices and mandated teacher salary increases, officials said.
“A lot of maintenance and operations’ vendors have added a surcharge for the price of gasoline,” Woods said. “New maintenance expenditures for 2005 also include approximately $60,000 for heating and air conditioning units.”
Teacher’s salaries will earn a 2 percent increase in January, Woods said. Seventy-five percent of total expenditures goes to teacher salaries.
Despite the increased operating expenses, the system is offering more classes, educators said.
The Chickamauga Board of Education is scheduled to meet Monday, Oct. 11, at 5:15 p.m. in the school system’s central office in Chickamauga. For more information on meetings, call (706) 375-3183 and dial 4.
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